Steganographically encoding specular surfaces

• US 7,162,052 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Brundage, Trent J., Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Jingge
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tabatabai; Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US10/359,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20030174863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/135, 382/232, 382/240, 380/51, 380/54, 380/201, 380/210, 380/252, 380/287, 370522-529, 283/72, 283 74- 81, 283/85, 283/93, 283/113, 283/901, 283/902, 713/176, 713/179, 358/3.28, 358/502
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14713 decorations in contact with injected material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14737 decorations printed on the insert by a digital imaging technique
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1418 the inserts being deformed or preformed, e.g. by the injection pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14688 Coating articles provided with a decoration
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/14 Security printing securities B42D25/29
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/24 Reliefs or indentations
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32208 involving changing the magnitude of selected pixels, e.g. overlay of information or super-imposition H04N1/32219, H04N1/32224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32219 involving changing the position of selected pixels, e.g. word shifting, or involving modulating the size of image components, e.g. of characters H04N1/32224 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32261 in binary data H04N1/32256 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32304 Embedding different sets of additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 : of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3239 : using a plurality of different authentication information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping

Abstract

The present invention provides techniques to steganographically mark specular surfaces. In one implementation, we steganographically mark a specular surface by providing a steganographic signal including at least plural-bit data, and arranging ink in a pattern on the specular surface to represent the steganographic signal. The ink preferably provides a diffuse reflection property.

Claims

1. A method of steganographically marking a specular surface comprising:

providing a steganographic signal including at least plural-bit data;

arranging ink in a pattern on the specular surface to represent the steganographic signal, wherein the ink once arranged on the specular surface provides an ink surface comprising at least diffuse reflection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specular surface comprises a first color and the ink comprises a second color, the second color being chosen to help hide or conceal the ink when arranged over the first color.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising thresholding the steganographic signal prior to said arranging.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the steganographic signal comprises a digital watermark.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plural bits are redundantly represented on the specular surface.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the digital watermark comprises an orientation component.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the specular surface comprises a layer in at least one of a compact disc and digital video disc.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the ink surface comprises a dull finish.

9. A method of marking a specular surface comprising:

providing an image including generally uniform pixel values;

embedding a digital watermark signal in the image through effecting a change in at least a plurality of the generally uniform pixel values;

thresholding the digital watermarked image;

printing the thresholded, digital watermarked image on the specular surface with an ink or dye that once printed provides an ink or dye surface comprising at least diffuse reflection.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the image comprises a grayscale image.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the image comprises a texture pattern.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said thresholding comprises selecting a pixel value number and discarding pixels with a value at or below the selected pixel value.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the diffuse reflection property approximates Lambertian reflection.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the effecting a change in at least a plurality of the generally uniform pixel values comprises at least adjustments to coefficients in a transform domain.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the ink or dye is responsive to at least one of ultraviolet and infrared light.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the specular surface comprises a first color and the ink or dye comprises a second color, the second color being chosen to help hide or conceal the ink or dye when printed over the first color.

17. A three-dimensional molded article comprising a decorative film or substrate and an adjacent molded polymeric base, wherein the decorative film or substrate includes a specular surface, further comprising a steganographic signal applied to the decorative film or substrate through arranging an ink pattern on the specular surface, wherein a coloration of the ink is selected to conceal the ink pattern on the specular surface.

18. The three-dimensional object of claim 17 wherein the object comprises a wireless phone faceplate.

19. The three-dimensional object of claim 17 wherein the ink is arranged on a generally transparent over-laminate that is adjacently arranged on the specular surface.

20. The three-dimensional object of claim 17 wherein the object comprises at least one of a personal digital assistant component, a handheld computer game component, a game console component, a golf club component, a label, and a camera component.

21. A cell phone faceplate manufactured according to the method of claim 17.

22. The object of claim 17, wherein the ink provides Lambertian reflection.

23. The object of claim 17, wherein the ink comprises a dull finish.

24. A method of steganographically marking a mirror-like surface, the mirror-like surface including a first coloration and a first finish, said method comprising:

providing a steganographic signal including at least plural-bit data;

arranging ink in a pattern on the mirror-like surface to represent the steganographic signal, the ink providing Lambertian reflection, wherein at least one of an ink coloration and ink finish is selected to hide the ink with respect to at least one of the first coloration and the first finish.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the ink finish comprise at least one of a dull finish and matt finish.

26. A laminate comprising a multi-layered structure including a film having a specular surface, the film being provided between a polymeric substrate and an over-laminate, further comprising ink adjacently arranged to the specular surface so as to convey a steganographic signal, wherein the ink provides an ink surface with a diffuse reflection property.

27. The laminate of claim 26 further comprising an organic dye layer arranged between said film and polymeric substrate.

28. The laminate of claim 27, wherein the over-laminate provides a printable surface.

29. A compact disc or digital video disc comprising the laminate of claim 27.